The True Enemy
by DarkArmedRanger
Summary: Evanna brought Darren back to find that he eliminated his bad side, but kept it's powers, and the war of scars is almost up. However, Darren & Evanna go on an epic quest with a few friends to fight the war against destiny. SPOILERS FOR LAST FEW BOOKS.
1. Explanations

**Hey, guys. This is my first DSS story (well, non-crossover), and I hope you like it. I randomly came up with the idea whilst eating pizza. Basically, it follows the same timeline as the books; up to and including Darren's final fight with Steve, DesTiny's revelations, and both Darren and Steve's deaths. Evanna does save Darren though, and they fight back against the true enemy: destiny. **

**Anyhow, I've been giving a bit much away here, I'll continue with the story. Review please! Even anonymous reviews are always great to receive! Oh and if anyone wants to randomly flame me in a review; just know this: flaming is NOT trolling, it is a childish act of attention seeking and insulting. I am pro at trolling. Flame all you want if you want to be troll'd to hell. Ahem, anyhow, here's the disclaimer and I'll be on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, except the laptop I'm writing this on. All credits for characters and places, etc go to Darren Shan, and whatever the hell company publishes his books.**

**P.S. This is always gonna be in Darren PoV unless I say otherwise, and is rated T for paranoia.**

Explanations

The lake of souls was horrible. No, scratch that. It was torture. My thoughts kept going back to the want to kill myself, before I realised I didn't have a body to kill. Damn destiny for being my father and screwing up my life. I wasn't even going to call him Mr. Tiny any more, he didn't deserve a title; even if it was only Mr. He shall be known as destiny to me now. He doesn't even deserve a capital letter.

I was lucky. I felt like I had been in the lake for an eternity, and I was on the brink of insanity. But then I felt hands on me. I was thinking 'Wait, hands? I didn't have a body! How?', and then I checked and it was a miracle! Someone had fished me out of the lake, like when Harkat fished out Kurda, his former self. However, something felt different about myself now. I was pondering this when I saw my saviour.

"Evanna!" I cried, I felt differently about her since I found out she was my half-sister. And by the look in her eyes, I could tell she felt the same way.

"Darren! Wait, you're not struggling to speak or anything! Hmm..." said Evanna, before she trailed off in thought. Them the most amazing thing happened. I was concentrating hard, my gaze fixed on her, trying to see what she was thinking. Then I heard it, it was like her voice in my head. _Hmmm...I wonder...my suspicions may have been correct!_

"Evanna, what? What suspicions?" I said aloud, before I could stop myself.

"You can read my thoughts? That's great! It seems my suspicions ARE correct," she said with a smile, "I believe our father when he, ahem, *created* you, unwittingly passed on a few powers, although they have lain dormant. Right up until you died, and I brought you back again. Interesting...it seems the lake of souls may have been a trigger to release your potential. Unless..."

Normally, I would struggle to comprehend this, but it seemed, among these powers was a greater intelligence.

"That's it!" She said. "The powers of the lord of the shadows! They were dormant until you killed Steve!"

"But I don't feel any uncontrollable urge of evil or anything," I said, panicking, "I don't want to be the stupid 'lord of the shadows'! That's why I purposefully made sure I died aswell as Steve!"

"Do not worry, Darren. I believe your act of self-sacrifice has eliminated the bad side of you. In killing yourself originally, you finished off the lord of the shadows once and for all, so to speak. But it is very interesting and a good thing that his powers have stayed with your good side."

"Oh, good. So I'm definitely cured of my evil side?"

"Yup."

"And I've got powers like you now?"

"Well, not quite like me. For example, from what I saw and what our father told me, your powers are very limited compared to mine and our father's. You cannot see into the future or do many of the things I can, but that also means you are not bound by the rules we are. You have powers such as greater intelligence, enhanced telepathy including mind-reading, and limited magical abilities such as teleportation and possibly changing appearance. However, that is the extent of your powers."

"I still have awesome ones," I said, grinning childishly.

"Yup. But mine are more awesome," she said, with a glint in her eye as if she was enjoying this. She'd never known her other brother, Hibernius Tall, who is now dead, and she didn't find out that me and Steve were also her brothers till the same time as us. And I could tell from her thoughts that although she didn't generally take sides and didn't mind the vampaneze, she, like me, had a deep loathing of Steve, and although he was our brother, we were glad he was gone.

She also shared my view of loathing our father. He is a manipulative bastard, what more can be said? He basically controlled my life, making it a living hell.

"So, I can have my life back now," I said with a smile.

"Yup," replied Evanna, "but our dad doesn't know I saved you. I'm bending the rules we're held by as it is, but no more than he did. He'd probably find some way to kill us both if he found out."

"Thanks, sis," I said, teasingly. She scowled, but then smiled.

"Don't mention it, little bro," she replied, as teasingly. This was a new side of her I'd never seen of before. It reminded me of my human sister, Annie, when we were younger. And with a pang I remembered Annie, and her son, Darius. I wondered how they were doing. Hell, I wondered how the war of the scars was doing! However, I'd ask about it later. First, I had some more important information to gather.

"Soo, I take it I'm still a half-vampire?"

"Yup, although maybe not for long."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, when you died, you were in the middle of the purge. That has not changed. And this is your second bout, you are likely to turn this time. Although it is not definite." And that made me think about my human girlfriend, Debbie, and our relationship. We had met when we were teenagers, and then met up again many years later. However, she was now an adult, in her early thirties, and I was that age too, although aging at 1/5th of the human rate as we half-vampires do, I looked like a teenager still.

She didn't want to progress further in our relationship until I was an adult. Or at least, had the body of an adult. The purge makes you, instead of aging at a slowed rate, age at an accelerated rate. So, soon, by the end of this bout of the purge, I'll be a true adult! I was elated at the thought. Then I came to a realisation.

"Does everyone think I'm dead? And what of the war of the scars?"

"Yes, everyone thinks you are dead. However, they will be pleasantly surprised when you return, especially Miss Hemlock, who I believe cried for a week after your death. Sadly, the war still rages on, although there are campaigners for peace on each side. Namely Gannen Harst and Vancha March."

"What! But Vancha hated them, why? And Gannen was all for war!"

"It seems you do not remember correctly. Gannen hated his job, the only reason Ganned protected Steve instead of killing him was because our father told him it meant doom for the vampaneze if he didn't, and you know what he's like. And Vancha, like yourself and I, did not despise the vampaneze. He despised our brother and father. He may be one of our few allies in the war against the true enemy. Presuming you join me of course."

"And who is this true enemy?" I asked, albeit simply out of politeness, as I knew by reading her thoughts.

"The true enemy is destiny."

"A war against destiny, eh? Fighting our father? I'm in!"

"I thought you might, well, knew you would say that."

"So, how do we kill him then?"

"We do not. We merely defeat him. I don't know if it is possible to kill him, and quite frankly, I wouldn't want to try." The vampire side of me wanted to go after him anyway, but the new, intelligent side of me realised this is a battle of brains not brawn. "We beat him at his own game."

"And how do you propose we do that?"

"He strives to create war, we strive to prevent, and end it. I already have a plan for this current war of the scars," she said, gesturing to her stomach as she spoke.

"You're pregnant! You chose someone! But isn't that favouring one side more than the other; isn't the child supposed to lead his or her side to victory?"

"Yes, Darren, just like you were supposed to become the lord of the shadows. Your act of self-sacrifice inspired me. I realised that the way to beat destiny is to think outside the box. Feel." As she said that last bit, she gestured to her stomach, presumably meaning for me to feel the baby. What I felt was not one, but two babies.

"Twins!" I exclaimed, "but how does that help? Won't that just give one side an EVEN STRONGER chance of victory? Unless..."

"Yes, Darren, you are correct in thinking that one is born to a vampire, one to a vampaneze. Namely Vancha and Gannen. What is more, I've allowed the bloods to mix; each child will be part vampire, part vampaneze, and part me."

"That's an amazing plan, Evanna! Brilliant! Although, that's got me thinking, will I, with my new powers, be able to father children?"

"Yes, Darren, I believe so."

"Wow. Would they be vampires? Would they have any powers?"

"I do not know. And it also depends on the mother." I was pondering this for a while, before I asked when we were going to go back to vampire mountain. Evanna said we had to stay here for a day, but we would be safe. The dragons wouldn't harm us, the children of destiny. We had to stay because she had used up most of her power getting here, and would need all of it to get back, especially with me.

I felt honoured, so naturally I agreed when she said she wanted to stay for a day to 'recharge her batteries'; normally, it wouldn't take such an amount of power to teleport. However, we were currently in the far distant future, not just in a different place.

The next morning, well, sunset, morning to vampires, we were having a discussion before we left for Vampire Mountain, in the present.

"Do you have the power to fast-forward the effects of the purge?" I asked, out of the blue, when my haywire senses started driving me crazy again.

"Yes, I do," she said, smiling, "if that is what you want, I will do it."

"Really? Thanks. I hate it when my senses are haywire like this, and I want to hurry up and become a full vampire."

"I also do have the power to end it, and keep you a half-vampire a little longer. Would you prefer to give up your daytime roaming hours, to full vampirism?"

"Yes, I think it is time. I've waited long enough," I said, grinning.

"Ok then, if you're sure. Remember, there is no going back."

"I know." As soon as said this, she started muttering some sort of incantation. I had never seen her do this before, this must be a different kind of magic. There was a sensation of light burning, and it was as though days of my life went by in a matter of seconds. Then, finally, she was finished. I admired myself now, my senses weren't haywire anymore, and I looked like a 19-20 year old. I had a muscly body, with plenty of scars.

I looked in a mirror that Evanna held up for me, and I saw I had stubble on my chin and face. However, I was still recognizable as me, at least to anyone who knew me. 'Debbie's gonna love this new me' I caught myself thinking. And by the smirk on my half-sister's face, I could tell she had read my thoughts.

"Wipe that smirk of your face, and am I a full vampire now?"

"What do YOU think?" It was at that moment that she made a small cut on my leg. Catching on to her intentions, I spat into my hand, and rubbed my saliva onto the wound. It healed up pretty much instantly. "Interesting, your lord of the shadows powers also seem to have enhanced your vampiric powers."

We chatted a little more for a while, before we went to vampire mountain. Evanna 'teleported' us a few minutes' walk from the gates. As we approached, there was a smile on Evanna's face.

"The war of the scars is almost over," she said.

"Yes, but the war against the true enemy has only just begun," I replied.

"That's my bro!"

"Evanna!" I said, trying to sound annoyed, but failed dismally. I also attempted a scowl, but in reality I loved to mess around like that. It reminded me of my human days. What a sight we must have been, me, grinning from ear to ear, and Evanna, still uncharacteristically (or not so much as I had found out recently) chuckling to herself, as we went through the gates.

We were greeted by a familiar site, and my happiness was indescribable.

**So, guys, whaddya think? Go ahead and click that review button, you know you want to! I couldn't be bothered to do a prologue, like I usually do, for this story, as they usually turn out crappy and make people not want to read the story! Anhow, this was kinda boring to write, but fun to come up with the ideas for! However, next chapter IS gonna be fun to write.**

**Watch out in your alerts for "The True Enemy – Chapter Two – Reunions", coming soon to a website near you!**


	2. Reunions And Revelations

**Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter – I like to TRY and update at least twice a week =D. I was seriously tempted to make Debbie commit suicide, but I decided that I'm not that mean of a guy. Darren's reaction would be kinda funny though xD. And now, as soon as I have done the disclaimer, we continue with our reunions and revelations...**

**Revelations to the others of course! Anyhow;**

**Disclaimer: Darren Shan is proudly owned by Darren Shan. I do not own Darren Shan, because Darren Shan owns Darren Shan.**

**Disclaimer (non-riddle): I do not own the Darren Shan Saga, just the ideas I come up with, and OC's if any.**

**Reading that first 'riddle' style disclaimer, I've just realised that it kinda makes it look like the words 'Darren Shan' have been used to censor stuff. Lol. Anyway, on with the story!**

Reunions And Revelations

"Evanna! Back so soon! And...OH MY GOD! Darren? Is that you? How?" said Seba, in awe, as we approached.

"We'll explain soon," said Evanna.

"Can we gather everyone in the hall of princes first so I only have to do this once?" I asked, not at all surprised that Evanna already knew what I was going to request. Even if she didn't have any powers, she knows me well enough now. Strange, I feel I've known my half-sister for years, even though you could technically say that I HAVE known her for a while, we didn't know we were related and we hardly got to know each other.

"Of course," said Seba, regaining his composure. But I could see inside his head. _Oh my god! Is it really him? How can this be possible? Does – does Evanna actually have the power to bring people back to life?_ Is what Seba thought.

"No, she doesn't," I said, smirking.

"But, how?"

"All will be explained in due course," said Evanna, and I could tell she was starting to get annoyed.

As we walked towards the hall of princes, surprised gasps and looks of awe came from vampires in the halls as we passed by. Finally, we got there. I let us in and found Vancha and Mika on their thrones, and Mr. Crepsley, Debbie, Harkat and Alice around the room. And there was someone with Vancha. DARIUS! I had completely forgotten for a while about my nephew and the fact that I blooded him to save him from a life of vampanezism.

Vancha saw me first.

"Darren! Is that really you? And Evanna!" Exclaimed Vancha when he saw us, his face extremely brightening up.

"Good evening to you too, sire," I replied, somewhat dryly.

"Yes, it is really you Darren!" exclaimed Mr. Crepsley, grinning ear to ear.

"That is the happiest he has been since you supposedly died, sire," whispered Seba, so quiet that even I, now a full vampire, who was standing right next to him, could barely hear him.

"I'm touched!" I whispered back, grinning.

"What happened?" asked Mika, who was also happier than I ever remember seeing him. Touching. I looked around the rome for a second, then sat down in my throne, and Evanna stood next to me. "And, on a different note, how come you're so friendly with Lady Evanna now?"

"Oh, it's not me. It's her," I said, wanting to at least attempt to embarrass my sister a tiny bit. "She has, how might you say, 'loosened up'." Everyone chuckled at this. All but Debbie, who still seemed to be in shock. Evanna shot me a scowl, but I could tell from her thoughts that it was only playful. "Seriously though, it will be explained in my story, which I will now tell, since everyone is conveniently already here. But first, Vancha, I take it you took it upon yourself to be my nephew's mentor?"

"Yeah, he did," grinned Darius. He really did have cheek. Not the bad, get-you-into-serious-trouble kind, but the good, humorous kind. I grinned back.

"Anyway, it all started with that damned prophecy."

"The prophecy about the hunters and the lord of the vampaneze?" asked Mr. Crepsley.

"No. Well, sort of. It was about the lord of the shadows, a lord of the night who would bring the downfall and destruction of society, bringing both clans of the night to the brink of destruction, along with humans."

"Let me guess. This was supposed to be Steve?" asked Mr. Crepsley again.

"No. Well, yes, you're half right. You see, the prophecy said that there were two possible futures, depending on whether me or Steve won that final showdown. In one, the vampires won the war of the scars, and in the other, the vampaneze did. In one, Steve was the lord of the shadows, in the other, I was."

"But, Darren, you wouldn't have! We know you! You wouldn't have turned on everyone you loved!" cried Debbie.

"Yes, I would have. And I nearly did. The darkness was ever-growing inside of me, but I fought it. However, as it grew I knew it would consume me. I had nightmares about the two possible futures, some about Steve torturing and killing everyone I hold dear – and in the others, which were much worse – I did it. And this is all because of destiny. You see, he created Steve and me, HE single-handedly created the scenario for the war of the scars, HE was the one behind everyone all along!"

Then Evanna, sensing my distress, continued to explain about how he wanted more – RESTRICTED children.

"Thanks, sis," I said. Everyone was staring at me in disbelief.

"Darren, do not think we think any less of you because you are the son of that foul cretin. You have proven yourself many times that you are against him. So have you, recently, Evanna," said Mika, and everyone agreed.

"And I should know!" joked Vancha. Everyone laughed.

"Wait, Darren, if you won, aren't you the lord of the shadows? And how come the war hasn't suddenly gone in our favour?" asked Seba.

"Well, you see, I beat steve. I had inflicted a fatal injury to him and he was minutes from dying. That was when destiny revealed all to me. A little too early, I must say." I smirked at this. "I couldn't stand that I would betray my friends. So, I created a third possible future."

"What! How?" said Seba.

"I made Steve kill me. We both died. That way there was no lord of the shadows." Everyone was shocked, they stared at me in awe.

"You willingly, and knowingly, gave your own life to protect the clan? You are a true vampire, Darren Shan," said Mika.

"Now, don't get me wrong," said Evanna, "I was sad, having just learned that Darren was my brother and watched him die, but you should have seen the look on our father's face when Darren made Steve kill him. His plans were in ruins! However, for years, I'd watched my father cause suffering everywhere, I watched, shamed, from the sidelines, afraid to act, afraid of breaking the rules I, and our father, live by. Darren inspired me to take action. I've already started, in the form of the twins."

There were smiles around the room at this, I thought, they had obviously heard the story before me.

"But, Darren, this does not explain how you are here, living and breathing!" said Mr. Crepsley, exasperation in his voice.

"Oh, simple really. Evanna brought me back."

"What! You have the power to do that? What of Arra and Gavner and all those that we have lost?" shouted Mr. Crepsley.

"Larten – it is impossible to bring a soul back from paradise!" said Evanna. "Darren was in the lake of souls – therefore he COULD be brought back. However, the kinds of people who're normally in there, you really wouldn't want to. As for why Darren was in there – I don't know. It was probably to do with his ties with the lord of the shadows."

"But...are you still the lord of shadows now?" asked Seba. He really did seem to be asking the more intelligent questions.

"No, the lord of the shadows was eliminated when Steve and I died; although I DID keep the powers I would have had as him," I said, smirking.

"What kinds of powers?" asked Harkat, speaking for the first time since I'd come back, albeit quite cautiously.

"Oh, this and that. Here's an example!" I then concentrated hard, and managed to teleport across the room, and back again. Everyone were in awe.

"Evanna, can you not do that?" asked Mr. Crepsley.

"I can, Larten, but I do not enjoy the after-sensation very much." She replied.

"I see what you mean," I said, when a sudden unpleasant sensation came over me, and I wanted to puke. "Possible to get used to though!" I grinned.

"One more thing. I couldn't help but wonder, but are you still in the purge, given that you died and all?" asked Alice, speaking for the first time.

"Great question, Miss Burguess," said Evanna, "yes, he WAS still in the purge. However, he asked me to fast-forward it for him to avoid unpleasantness."

"I'm a full vampire now!" I grinned. Everyone cheered.

"Oh," said Debbie, grinning, "I thought you looked older." She then gave me a suggestive wink, and I blushed. Vancha nudged me in the ribs.

"Anyway," said Evanna, clearing her throught to get everyone's attention. "I believe Darren has a request of his fellow princes."

"That I do. Now, Vancha, I seem to remember being told that usually, new princes spend a few years to roam before settling down to duties. Now, you do not need to ask Evanna to realise that the war of the scars is close to finishing, with the two clans of the night settling down to peace. I request that, once the situation has settled, I get a few years 'off', there are some things I would like to settle.

"Of course, Darren, of course!" said Vancha. "Goodness knows, you've earned it!"

"I agree fully," said Mika. "And I'm sure arrow will too." Mr. Crepsley seemed slightly troubled.

"What, Darren, are these things you would like to settle?" asked Mr. Crepsley, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, Evanna and I are waging a new war. A war against the true enemy. It is on a much smaller scale than the war of the scars, but on a much larger one, too. Us, and anyone who wishes to join us, against the true enemy.

"But why you?" asked Debbie.

"Well, we feel compelled to, given the nature of the enemy."

"But WHO, or WHAT, is the true enemy?" she asked. I quickly read a flash of her mind.

"You already know the answer to that." I said. Her eyes widened. Everyone seemed to have understood, except for Vancha.

"But, WHO is it?" asked Vancha, getting frustrated.

"Sire, you can be a bit thick sometimes. The true enemy is destiny."

"Destiny? Stop talking in riddles Darren, this is serious!" said Vancha.

"Seriously thick." Said Evanna as she rolled her eyes, although I was the only one who noticed, so I just got strange looks when I started laughing.

"Destiny. Des Tiny. Desmond Tiny. Mr. Tiny, the manipulative bastard. My father." I said. There was a look of great understanding on his face.

"I'll go with you!" said Debbie. Well, half shouted.

"Me too!" said Harkat.

"And I!" said Mr. Crepsley.

"I would love too. I believe I can speak for your fellow princes too when I say this, but duty calls. Have fun." Said Seba.

"Hear, hear!" chimed Mika and Vancha. Mika was in a surprisingly cheery mood, I noticed. We then all looked at Alice.

"As much as I would love to go," said Alice, "one of us," she gestured to herself and Debbie, "has to keep in charge of the vampirites, and it's hardly fair to ask Debbie to stay behind." She smirked. Debbie grinned. So did I.

"So, Mr. Crepsley, did you keep my 'cell' warm for me?" I asked, putting on a childish grin like a 3-year old. "Ok, thanks, I'm tired; I'll be off to sleep. Wake me up in a couple hours?" I gestured the last bit more towards Debbie, smirking.

"Of course." She replied.

"How-" began Mr. Crepsley, before he was cut off by Evanna,

"He most likely read your mind."

"Oh." Said Mr. Crepsley. "Wait, what? Since when could he do that?"

"Since he was able to teleport."

"Oh."

I fell asleep almost as soon as I got into bed. I was tired. Very tired. Nuff said.

**So, how was this second chapter? As always, review, with comments and feedback! You DO NOT need an account to review! (although it would be better if you did have an account as I could reply to your review straight away instead of you having to wait 'till the A/N of the next chapter. **

**REVIEW. Nuff said. God, I love that phrase.**

**-DarkArmedRanger**


	3. Discussion

**Hi. Yeah, that's right. Another chapter. So soon. I was bored. Nuff said. Heh heh – I can read your mind. You want me to stop putting the phrase 'nuff said'. Well I won't. Nuff said. UNLESS, of course, you review. THEN I may stop. But only if you ask me in your review to stop. Mwahahaha. Hmm, random script time:**

**Darren: Hey, Mr. Crepsley, look what I got! *moves and reveals TV***

**Larten: By the black blood of Harnon Oan! What is that?**

**Darren: It's a TV. It means television. You can watch stuff on it. Why don't we give it a try? I've got the perfect music video for you to watch! *grins evilly***

**Larten: Well then, ok, but it better be good!**

***Darren puts on TV and starts messing with channels***

**TV: Baby, baby, baby ooohh! Baby, baby, baby oooohh!...you will always be my girl!**

**Larten: Argh! What is this sorcery? Is this some torture device sent by the vampaneze? HELP ME!**

***Darren falls apart in fits of laughter***

**Darren: Your face! It was Justin Bieber, can you believe some human girls actually like this crap! Umm...Mr. Crepsley?**

***Larten sits in a corner, shivering, full of fear***

**Larten: Get...that demon...off of the screen. Please!**

**So, whaddya think? I'm thinking of turning it into a oneshot fic, probably about 5k words, maybe more. Trust me, that'd be just a small snippet. So, should I make it into a fic? Or should I leave it in the realm of the unwanted ideas, left to rot to hell? Tell me in your REVIEW.**

**Disclaimer: The only things I own are my ideas. Nuff said.**

**Warning, this chapter may contain excess amounts of fluff. Please resist any urge to kill yourself, the paperwork for me would be tedious.**

Discussion

_I was back in the old theatre – with Steve. When he killed Shancus. For no reason at all. I was so stricken by rage that I killed Darius. I twisted his neck, heard it snap._

"_There, Steve, I took up your Dare. Now come fight me like a man. I killed your son. Come on then!" I sneered, all of my friends looked horrified at me, especially Debbie. She was crying._

"_Darren!" He laughed, psychedelically, "you just killed your own nephew! In cold blood! How do you feel about that?"_

"_WHAT?"_

"_You heard me. Your nephew. I never told you who the mother was did I?" I shook my head; I was full of sorrow and despair, and a burning rage and hatred. He just laughed. "YOUR DEAR SISTER ANNIE!"_

"_YOU BASTARD!" I shouted, launching my sword across the pit of stakes at him. It struck him full on the face._

"_Darren, my dear boy. Darren! Well done, well done indeed. You are the lord of the shadows. Good job, son!" Came a voice from the shadows. It was Mr. Tiny._

_He explained to me everything, how he was my father, and Steve was my brother._

"_What do you want me to do now, father?" All of my friend's faces showed disgust, and sorrow. Evanna simply showed pity._

"_Kill her!" Mr. Tiny said delightfully, pointing at Debbie. Without any control over myself, I went over to her, prepared to strike, and-_

"Darren, Darren! What's happened?" I was woken by a pale-faced, worred Debbie.

"Nightmare.." I muttered, burying my face in my pillow, starting to cry.

"What...what happened?" asked Debbie, panic stricken. _Gee, _she thought, _I wonder what he could possibly have had a nightmare about that which reduced him to tears!_

"You want to know what it was about?"

"Did you read my thoughts?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, yes. Sorry. I can stop myself doing it, it's just hard. I sorta just subconsciously start doing it."

"It's ok," she said, smiling a warm, soothing, relaxing smile. "I have nothing to hide. Not from you."

I then relayed out the whole nightmare to her. I figured, if she didn't have any secrets to hide from me, I wouldn't hide this either. By the end, she was teary-eyed too.

"But, Darren...this is what you stopped! You stopped any of this from happening! You sacrificed yourself to stop this happening!"

"I know. But it tears me up, to think I nearly became what I despise most." I put my head on her shoulder, weeping freely. After a while, I stopped. We looked into each other's eyes. I leaned forward, my lips brushed hers as I pulled her into a kiss. I half-expected her to pull away, but she returned the kiss. My heart missed a beat. "I've waited so long for this moment," I said, pulling away for just a couple of seconds.

"Me too, Darren, me too." We just say their for a minute or two, kissing passionately, when Harkat walked in.

"Oh, sorry," he said, blushing (can little people blush? I think he did) and leaving the room quickly. We broke apart the kiss when Harkat came in, and didn't resume when he left. We sat there, for a few moments, staring into each other's eyes.

"I love you, Debbie," I whispered.

"I love you too, Darren," she whispered back.

"So I guess this means we're going out now, huh?"

"I guess." We sat in silence for a while more, just enjoying each other's company for a while. It was Debbie who finally broke the silence.

"Darren?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I've been thinking-"

"Never a good sign," I cut her off. She half smiled, half scowled at me and continued.

"Well, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted," she saud, rolling her eyes, "I've been thinking – I want to become a vampire!"

"What?" I exclaimed.

"Oh. If you don't think it's a good idea, I won't..." she looked crestfallen.

"No, I think it's a great idea! I'm just surprised, is all. Why do you wish to be a vampire all of a sudden?"

"Well, for one thing, to keep up with you. If you were a half-vampire, it might not be as bad, you wouldn't be as hard to keep up with – but now you're full, I want to be at least half. And not JUST to be with you! I've been thinking about this for a while, and – well – this really is what I want. I've grown accustomed to the drinking of blood, and I haven't a problem with being nocturnal. Also, on this little war of yours, I'd be a nuisance as a human, but a help as a vampire. Also, if I'm going out with you, there's age rate. I'd only live for a maximum of 60 years more as a human, I'd say probably more like 30 living among creatures of the night."

"Who do you want to blood you?" I asked, liking this idea more as she explained it. Not THAT long ago, I would have hated the idea of making her a vampire, but I did see her point, and the life of a vampire, well – suited her.

"You, you muppet. That's why I brought it up. Now that you're a full-vampire, you can, can't you?"

"I'll have to talk to Mr. Crepsley. I don't know whether I'm ready, heck, I don't even know whether he still considers me his assistant! I'm not too much of an expert on vampire ways and customs, either."

"You idiot, all I'm asking is for you to blood me, not for me to become your assistant!" exclaimed Debbie, laughing, "I already know enough of your customs, having lived among vampires for a few years. All I'd need to do is train alongside you, y'know, fighting and stuff."

"Hmm, true. But I'll still have to consult Mr. Crepsley and the others about it."

"I understand. But do you think we should get going?"

"Get going?" I questioned.

"There's a meeting, due to start soon. It's about plans for a peace treaty with the vampaneze, or at least it was going to be. I have a feeling there will also be a secondary focus, given your return and your news. That's probably why Harkat came, to tell us it was due to start."

"God, we'd better hurry then!"

"Indeed."

"Umm, Debbie, one last thing – you do realise as a vampire you won't be able to have kids, right? Does this bother you?"

She actually started laughing.

"You imbecile!" she said playfully, still laughing. "Firstly, do you imagine this life for a child? Well, a baby? Secondly, I wouldn't be able to have kids even if I were a human."

"What? What do you mean you wouldn't be able to have kids as a human?"

"Well, you're a vampire, and I can't imagine myself with anyone other than you, so there." My heart swelled, and my grin widened.

"I love you."

"I love you too." And we kissed again. I wanted it to last longer than it did, but I realised that we had a meeting to get to. And so, off we went, to see what news there was and discuss things with the others.

**Sorry it's quite a small chapter, and sorry for all the fluff, if you don't like it! It's a small chapter because I was tied and not feeling to great, but I wanted to update quickly, so I thought I might as well wait and do the meeting in the next chapter. The fluff is there because I put it there, because I can. Nuff said. Review, please. And just so you know, my favourite character will be in the next chapter.**

**That's not surprising though, as they are one of the main characters, and they have already made an appearance. Got ya there, didn't I? I made you think there will be a new character! Mwahahaha.**

**Anyhow, REVIEW.**

**-DarkArmedRanger**


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